For the Birds

I’m only now getting over the itch I have to hug the trees for the good sense they’ve had to start growing leaves again. It’s such a beautiful green, these first few days of spring, and I feel like dancing around. Or I do dance around, then I remember that my knees aren’t really up for that, so I bounce on my toes a little.

It’s not very nice of me to be happy about not so wonderful things, but my partner just had an elbow operation and we’re not climbing for the moment. This means we can go for walks. I like walking nearly as much as climbing or skiing or anything else. I like the slowness of it, watching the countryside pass by. I like stopping and just pulling out the camera for a photo, or watching an insect cross the path.

We went bird watching at a lake on Sunday, and I arrived and thought, shit, we’re kind of late in the morning and there’s nothing to see or hear. (But just you wait!) After time, we noticed a tern, then two, flying around and dipping into the water to fish. Once it came out with a tiny fish in its beak and just stood there, looking around and not eating it so we could observe, then it flipped its neck up and swallowed the fish whole. (And inevitably, I think “Yum, sushi!”)

There were two bachelor ducks, mallards, just sitting on a log. I imagined they were in some sort of depression, no lady friends, no baby ducklings to look after. Further away we saw mallard ducklings, maybe six, all balls of yellow fuzz. Not theirs, apparently. They are those sad old uncles. Everyone’s got one.

There were grey geese on this lake, too, and some goslings. They are such the Mother Goose image of what a goose should look like. We saw them fly, or try to. They are terrible flyers, heavy and need to turn a few times on the lake to get up over the trees, and utterly clumsy when they land on the water. You expect them to fall over on their faces.

Otherwise, we used the Merlin app to identify bird calls. It’s really great, and super helpful. Reed warblers were the spectacular “sound” of the morning. And a meadow lark (from the song “Alouette, gentille alouette”). They’re having a hard time because they nest on the ground, so every cat, fox, or brush hog (which is a big mower, not a kind of pig) can get at their nests.

All was nice, though, and the lake came alive in front of us. We weren’t too late, nor was there “nothing to see”. I just need to open my eyes and be patient.